Paper ruling machine



April 1941' C. E. CLARKE EI'AL 36.726

' PAPER RULING MACHINE Original Filed July 51, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Iaweafoms @414 @2 1 M 5% April. 1, 1941.

C. E. CLARKE ETAL PAPER RULING' MACHINE Original Filed July 31; 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Wrw M mfiom allllomv Patented Apr. 1, 1941 1 PAPER RULINGMACHINE Charles E. Clarke, *Winchester, and 'Robert T. Duflfy, Boston, Ma'ss, and 11 Joseph W. Clolitier, Franklin,'N.2H.,;-assignors-toi'Lindbladh Corporation, Bostn,Mass., a-corporat-ionof Massachusetts Original application July "31, 1939, Serial No. 287, 552. Divided-and this application October 8,"'1940;' Serial No. 360,273

Oun invention relates to paper ruling=machines of the. type in which sheets'of "paper-are carried on a cloth belt beneath pens arranged to be lowered into engagement with the sheets and raised where striking wasnecessary. .The term striking is used in theart to denote that type .of ruling in which the pens are not continuously in contact with the sheets .but.are lowered atleast once into contact with each..moving sheet. The heavy pen beams generally used to support the penclamps could not .be:raised..and loweredaat high speed withoutvibrating sufiicientlyto make the .pensjump and .rule -unevenly. According to our inventionthepenbeam is entirely. eliminated .andthe entire. pen, supporting structure has. been lightened.

Another object of our invention ,istoreduce the time. required to set the machineuppreparatory to ruling. To this end the pen clamp has been modified so that-all the pens can be inserted and :adjusted while the pen clamp is in its operating position. The-clamp controlling means has been placed at the rear of the clamp, and the operator of the machine need no longer raise the clamp to gain access to the bottom thereof for adjustment.

An important feature of our invention consists in a novel mechanism for controlling the pressure exerted by the jaws of the pen clamp. The new mechanism permits minute variations in adjustment and provides separate adjustments for each section of the clamp.

These and other objects and features of our invention will be more readily understood and appreciated from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig.1 is a plan view of a portion of a ruling machine, showing our improved pen clamp,

Fig. 2 is a view in lateral cross-section of the pen clamp, and

Fig. '3 is a view inperspective showing the pen "clamp and its supporting structure.

Therulingmachine is builton a heavymetal F frame l0 withinwhich is arranged and guided a -wide cloth belt 88-" on which the sheets are conyeye'd beneath the-pens. On top of the frame Ill are secured standards- IZ and H3. in which bearings are 'formed for a shaft It which extends transversely across the frame lil. Fixed to the shaft l6 on the rulers side of -the machine 'is a bearing bracket iii-Which has-an extension carrying'a h-andle 64 and which is associated with links-and cam followers fitl and B2. :In our co- =zpending application referred to above, we have given; .a idetailed description of: the mechanism as :sociatedrwith the bracket 18. On theother side 'ofthe machine a-simple bearing bracket-'20 is secured to the shaft l6.

A rock. shafte'22 journalled in. the. brackets l8 and ZU is flattened on one side to support underlifts; anda torsion. spring 24 urges the shaftfli in -clockwise direction. Also journalled in'the brackets Mand -'20 is -a shaft ZG-urged in clockwisedirectionbytorsion springs '28 and dis- -posed -atopposite ends thereof. A rotatable knob -32 provides-a conventional adjustment for the tensionxof the-spring '30. Near-eachend of the shaft 26 is fixedalbracket 34-upon which is screwed along wooden bar 35 forming thelower jaw-of apenclamp. As seen in Fig. 2 a series of bolts or connecting-members BE threaded into socketsatspaced intervals in'lthe lower jaw 35 protrude from the upper surface of the jaw and areaprovided with rearwardly'facing taperholes 40. Allong wooden upper clamp jaw 42- issuperposed on the lower jaw 36 and provided in its under face with sockets 43 receiving the bolts 38. The upper jaw is curved at its forward edge to supplement a similar curve in the edge of the lower jaw '36 and has a relatively thin rearwardly extending table 44 which carries the wicks used to feed ink to the pens. Openings are formed in the rear walls of the sockets 43 and threaded to receive a series of long thumb screws 46 having conical ends and integral adjusting knobs 48 The conical ends of the thumb screws 46 enter taper holes in the bolts 38 and are so disposed that turning a screw 46 clockwise forces the point farther into the hole 40 and draws the lower jaw 36 against the upper jaw 42. A flexible steel pen 50 is held between the jaws 36 and 42 and is representative of a series of similar pens capable of being inserted at any point in the pen clamp according to the pattern to be ruled on the sheets. Each thumb screw 46 controls a relatively small area of the pen. clamp, and adjustments of one or two pens in the clamp may be made without disturbing the setting of others.

Although the pen clamp may be turned up by lifting the handle 64 and turning the pen clamp and its supporting structure around the shaft l6 as an axis, pens can be removed, inserted, or moved in the clamp without moving the clamp as 10 a whole. The knobs 48 extend rearwardly of the clamp and permit adjustment without necessitating the movement of any other portions of the structure. In previous clamps adjustments were made from the bottom and the Whole pen clamp had to be swung to vertical position so-that access could be had to the clamp controlling means. It is of great importance to be able to adjust the pens in the clamp while the clamp is in operating position, poised over a model sheet displaying the pattern to be ruled and lying in position on the cloth conveyor 68.

The flattened shaft 22 is called the underlift shaft and upon it may be clamped one or a number of underlifts. Each underlift comprises a long spatulate finger 52 integral with a hooked base 54 threaded to receive a pair of adjusting screws 56 and 58. A spacer 10 embraces the three shafts IE, 22, and 26 and maintains them in a predetermined position relative to each [3' other. As explained in our co-pending application referred to above, cams are operated to actuate the followers 60 and 82. The follower 6!] rocks the pen clamp shaft 26 and the follower 62 rocks the underlift shaft 22. Each underlift is 35 placed in line with a pen, and when the underlift shaft is rocked the underlift raises the pen from the paper, thus providing means for raising some of the pens in the clamp without moving the others.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate the fact that in our novel pen clamp structure the heavy pen beam has been entirely eliminated. The light wooden pen clamp is secured directly to the rock shaft, and the resultant reduction in weight renders the machine capable of accuracy at high speed, since vibration is effectively eliminated. Furthermore the pen clamp of our invention materially facilitates setting up of the machine and simplifies the process.

Having thus described our invention what We claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patend of the United States is:

1. A pen clamp which comprises light upper and lower jaws, means fixed on one of the jaws 55 for holding the jaws together, a plurality of pens secured between and extending laterally from one side of said jaws, and means carried by the pen clamp and extending laterally from the other side of the jaws for controlling the pressure exerted by relatively small areas of the jaws upon the pens.

2. In a ruling machine including a frame, the combination of a pair of standards mounted at either side of the frame, a transverse shaft journalled in the standards, a pair of bearing brackets secured to said shaft, a pen clamp shaft rotatably journalled in said brackets, a pair of brackets fast to said pen clamp shaft, and a light wooden pen clamp fixedly secured to said pen clamp shaft by said brackets.

3. A pen clamp comprising a long light lower bar provided with spaced sockets, members contained within the sockets protruding upwardly from said bar and provided with conical holes, a long, light upper bar having sockets in its bottom receivin the members protruding from the lower bar and threaded holes in the side of each socket, and a plurality of independently operable screws extending laterally from said upper jaw and having conical ends received in the conical holes of the protruding members.

4. A pen clamp comprising light wooden upper and lower. clamp members, a wick table integral with said upper jaw, apertured connecting members secured in the lower clamp member and received in sockets in the bottom of the upper clamp member, and independently operable thumb screws disposed beneath said wick table and threaded transversely in one side of the upper clamp member and received in the holes in the connecting members.

5. A pen clamp for a ruling machine, which comprises long upper and lower jaws for holding the shanks of a series of pens, and a plurality of independent means for controlling the clamping pressure of sections of said jaws, disposed at spaced intervals along the clamp and operable from the side of the clamp opposite that from which the pens protrude.

6. A pen clamp for a rulin machine, which comprises a long lower jaw, a long upper jaw superposed on the lower jaw and having an integral wick table extending along one of its sides, a plurality of bolts disposed at spaced intervals in the lower jaw and received in sockets in the upper jaw, and a plurality of means for independently drawing said bolts and said lower jaw into engagement with said upper jaw, said means extending beneath and beyond said wick table.

CHARLES E. CLARKE. ROBERT T. DUFFY. J. W. CLOUTIER. 

